The invention relates to the field of construction of vehicles, in particular rail vehicles having driver""s cabs, and it relates to such a vehicle that has an energy-absorbing structure for protecting the driver of the vehicle in the event of collision.
Current rail vehicles are equipped at their ends with means serving to withstand stresses to which the vehicle is subjected under normal running conditions and when xe2x80x9cdockingxe2x80x9d impacts occur at low speeds.
It is also known, from Document FR-A-2 698 840, that it is possible to equip rail vehicles having driver""s cabs with energy-absorbing metal structures for the purpose of protecting the passengers and the driver of the vehicle in the event it is subjected to major impacts, e.g. when it collides with another train. The vehicle then has dynamic plastic deformation zones formed of fixed or interchangeable energy-absorbing elements that are provided at the ends of the vehicle.
However, such a structure is adapted to absorb energy from a major impact at the level of the solebars of the vehicle frame, but it is not adapted to coping with an impact with an obstacle that hits the driver""s cab of the rail vehicle above the level of the frame. Such an impact can occur when an obstacle hits the rail vehicle directly level with the driver""s cab, and it can also occur when the impact is with an obstacle for which the energy-absorbing elements of the frame are overdimensioned and cannot therefore absorb the impact properly. In such a case, the high rigidity of the frame and the downward-sloping shape of the end of the train usually cause the obstacle that is hit to be lifted up so that it then strikes the driver""s cab and causes uncontrolled deformation thereof, thereby threatening the life of the driver.
An object of the present invention is to mitigate these drawbacks by providing a rail vehicle whose driver""s cab is provided with a protective shield that is adapted to absorb the energy from an impact with an obstacle that hits the driver""s cab above the level of the solebars of the vehicle frame, and that is simple and inexpensive to implement.
The invention provides a rail vehicle having an end provided with a driver""s cab, said vehicle having a rigid frame extending under said driver""s cab, said rail vehicle having a protective shield disposed in front of said driver""s cab and provided with a rigid structure, said protective shield resting on said frame and being connected to said frame via at least one energy-absorbing element interposed locally between the shield and the frame.
In particular embodiments, the rail vehicle of the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics taken in isolation or in any technically-feasible combination:
the one or more energy-absorbing elements connect the protective shield longitudinally to the frame so as to enable the protective shield to move relative to the frame in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle by the one or more energy-absorbing elements deforming when a frontal impact occurs;
at their interface, the frame and the protective shield have complementary shapes constituting a guide device of the runner type in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
the protective shield is constituted of a rigid structure extending vertically over the height of the driver""s cab, and provided with an opening facing the windscreen of the vehicle;
the protective shield also extends over the sides of the driver""s cab to form a casing structure;
the protective shield and the frame are locally connected directly to each other via break-away fixing elements;
the top portion of the protective shield is connected via energy-absorbing elements to structural elements secured to or integral with the frame;
the front face of the protective shield supports energy-absorbing elements extending towards the front end of the vehicle;
the front end of the frame supports energy-absorbing elements;
the one or more energy-absorbing elements are constituted by structures that deform in programmed manner; and
the front end of the frame supports a track-clearing guard iron.